The Big Joe Spaits Flutter
Spoon originated on Lake Fork in Texas and was made famous by Kelly Jordan. He is now throwing the Lake Fork Tackle's version of the Flutter Spoon.
Which is stamped from the same mold but with different color schemes and
components. Kelly boated big fish after big fish on Kentucky Lake during
the Nationally televised show "Ultimate Match Fishing" and the secret was
out. Below is a great read on using the Flutter Spoon.

When fishing and spoons
are mentioned in the same breath most thoughts turn to vertical jigging
for white bass or wintertime fishing for lethargic, cold water spotted
bass. Both methods do not excite most bass anglers as a preferred means to
load the boat so you can imagine my initial thoughts last winter when
longtime Lake Fork pro guide Tom Redington mentioned deep spooning to me
at some seminars we were speaking at over the winter. He offered me a
chance to spend a day in the boat with him learning to work deep water
with large spoons. Despite my skepticism I had to give the invitation
serious consideration since Tom has been fishing Lake Fork since 1993 and
guiding there full time since 2002. The noted Ranger pro has also amassed
a very respectable resume’ in local, regional and FLW events. When he
speaks most folks would be wise to listen as Tom is one of the most
hard-working and humble guides you’ll ever meet. Not to mention its hard
to pass up a day on Lake Fork no matter the time of year.

After further discussion
we decided to devote a day later in the summer to exploring this technique
in which Tom has had much success both in his guiding and his tournament
fishing. During that time while we were waiting pretty much the whole
fishing world got to see firsthand just how devastating the technique can
be when Kelly Jordon repeatedly bagged huge limits on Ultimate Match
Fishing using large spoons on Kentucky Lake which like Fork can kick out
some toads. To say I was excited was an understatement. We finally were
able to get our schedules aligned for a late July trip. As I left home
heading to Lake Fork I was more than a bit shocked when Tom told me the
best bite was coming later in the day. I’m thinking the man has been in
the sun way too much this year if he truly thinks we can get enough action
in the middle of the day in the hottest part of the year on the busiest
lake in Texas to get a good article together. Again the fact that I was
headed to Fork to fish made up for any doubts that had crept in.

After a short stop at
Lake Fork Tackle and the proper outfitting of their baits I met up with
Tom at Lake Fork Marina. We had a leisurely lunch at Moser’s Restaurant
(which is almost worth the trip to Fork by itself) then we were on the
water by noon. As Tom brought the big Ranger Z520 to life and we roared
out of the marina the furnace like blast of a Texas summer was bearing
down on us in full force. With air temps exceeding 100 degrees and
bluebird skies above I really thought we may struggle just to get a few
bites. Those doubts were quickly quelled as Tom set the hook on the first
chunky Fork bass of the day on his second cast. Tom had started us out in
20-30ft of water just basically working a long point out into open water.
After a short fight Tom lipped a beautiful 3lb bass that had almost
literally swallowed the 6” Lake Fork Flutter Spoon he was using. It was
the first of more than a few good sized fish that we boated courtesy of
the LFT spoon. We only boated one fish under 3lbs on the day with quite a
few in the 3-4lb range. Also had a couple in the 6lb and over range.
More than anything else it opened my eyes on just how good the technique
can be on both summertime and deep bass. Deciding whether to watch and
take notes or actually trying to fish was a tough choice. Tom is an
excellent teacher on the water and I was afraid I would miss a vital tip
or some advice that would benefit this article and my own fishing in
general.

Starting out Tom gave me
a quick introduction to the baits and setups he was using. He primarily
uses the Lake Fork Flutter Spoons made by Lake Fork Tackle. The spoons
come in a variety of colors but most have some type of chrome on them.
Currently there are three sizes of the spoons available in the 3”, 4”, and
5” lengths. Using either or both paint and prizm tape the spoons are
customized with eyes and colorations to mimic baitfish and the ever
popular barfish (yellow bass) that is prolific on Lake Fork. The baits
range in weight up to 1 1/2oz, ” but Tom is quick to point out he is
petitioning Mark Pack, owner of Lake Fork Tackle bring a 8-10” version to
market. “I catch a fair amount of 1-2lb bass on the spoons and I feel like
the bigger spoons will indeed get a bigger average bite but still allow
you to get the attention of 3-4lb class fish”, says Tom. When throwing
the spoons Tom prefers a 7’ MH graphite rod with a fast tip. He chooses a
Lake Fork Pro Series Carolina rig rod for his spoon fishing, “You want a
little backbone to drive home the hookset and you also want a line with a
little stretch” and so he chooses a 20lb fluorocarbon line for most of his
spooning when using the larger spoons. He drops down 10-15lb fluorocarbon
with the smaller spoons. Because using a line that is sensitive and
allows a little stretch will help you feel the bites and keep fish on Tom
elects to use P-Line fluorocarbon. The reel choice should be a fast
retrieve baitcaster with a decent spool capacity. A reel with a 6.2:1 and
above ratio is preferred. The spool capacity is important because the
spoons cast very well and its easy to spool a reel with a long cast.
Though each person may have different preferences Tom advises that his
years of experimenting with the technique has led him to these equipment
choices.

As far as technique is
concerned its very easy to learn even for a novice angler. As most guides
can attest, simplicity is the key to a great trip and using techniques
that clients can quickly master makes for a great day and lots of repeat
customers. Spooning is one of these presentations that most folks can do
with a little time and effort and a basic skill level. Basically when the
boat is in position on the spot or structure you cast out and let the
spoon fall on a slack line. Once the spoon is on the bottom you start
working it with a series of aggressive strokes using the rod to move the
bait. You are literally raising the rod tip from a nine o’clock position
to a nine to a twelve o’clock position repeatedly. It is vital that the
bait fall on a slack line. One of the keys to the retrieve is pulling the
spoon way off the bottom and allowing it to have a longer fall on the
slack line. This allows for the bait to wobble more thus getting the
attention of the fish a bit longer. You may have to experiment and even
raise the rod all the way over your head closer to the one o’clock
position to accomplish this. The cadence is varied by the mood of the fish
that particular day. The bites range from a loading up type sensation to
an all out crushing type bite. The bait falls with a very erratic wide
wobble which causes most bites to occur on the fall. You simply repeat the
cast and work the bait back as described till you get bit. If the school
is there they usually will bite quickly. Its what I call an “honest”
technique. Tom also mentions that “once you get that first bite it is
typical to get the whole school activated and load the boat pretty
quickly”. The drawbacks to using the spoon is that due to sheer weight
and design of a spoon it lends itself to bass coming unbuttoned. The
spoons are 1 ½ oz and up and it can act to dislodge itself when a bass
jumps. Tom demonstrated a technique he called “grinding” a fish in.
“Basically after I hook the fish I keep my rod tip low to the water and
keep good pressure while reeling at a fluid, steady pace”, “you want to
keep the fish down and minimize jumps”. Much like frog fishing your
hookup ratio can drive you crazy when fishing a spoon but the rewards are
huge. Its simply a solid way to fish for less pressured fish and tends to
put a bigger size average fish in the boat. Out of all the bites we had
that day I only saw Tom have one fish pull off so all in all the tips that
Tom taught me really seemed to increase the landing of fish.

Once the proper gear is
assembled and once we have the technique down probably the most vital part
of deep water spoon fishing is location, location, location. We targeted
water 20-35ft deep primarily. We were able to hit quite a few spots that
day and we decided early on that we were targeting big fish. Tom stressed
the importance of using a good map and your electronics to target areas
and depths that fish were set up on. One of the comments he made that
stood out is when he mentioned, “a depthfinder is only a depthfinder when
fishing shallow water, it becomes a fish finder when fishing deep water”.
That was proven over and over throughout our day on the water. Tom uses
the larger screen Lowrance color units on his Ranger. “The larger screens
show me so much more detail and that is crucial when trying to find the
little sweet spots on structure”. The basic principles of traditional deep
water areas such as ledges, points, channels, and other structure are
effective but it’s the fine tuning that Tom taught me that really opened
my eyes. He chooses to look for the bigger arches on his screen and
prefers they be stacked and compact. The presence of baitfish schools is a
huge bonus but not always a requirement when the bass are stacked. These
tightly grouped bass schools tend to be more easily caught and its also
easier to get the school ignited after catching one or two fish. Tom made
reference to the “grenade effect” where he stated, “ imagine throwing a
grenade into a school of fish, once they scatter its harder to get your
bait in front as many fish as when they are stacked tight”. Its like
playing the percentages in that you want your bait in front of as many
fish at all times possible. Like most deep water fishing though it can
often be a timing deal. Repeated stops on the same spots throughout a day
are important. Eventually you will hit it just right and get bit. Another
aspect of summertime and deep water fishing in general is to take into
consideration that you will encounter suspended fish that may not react to
other presentations. This is where spooning can shine. One of the best
tips I learned from Tom is the premise that when you encounter suspended
fish simply note the depth they are suspended at and locate other
structures that bottom out at that depth. If they are holding at 22 feet
you can locate other areas such as a hump that top outs at 22ft or
treetops in that range and find more active fish holding there. You can
then work those areas and usually entice a bite. The suspended fish act as
a clue to what depth you should be targeting. Also the spoon allows you to
get a reaction bite by bringing it up through that water column and
allowing it to fall back through them.

As I learned throughout
the day you really need to be targeting the same areas that you normally
throw a Carolina rig, a deep Texas rig, dropshot, or deep diving
crankbait with the spoon. It is just as effective if not more so in
certain situations than anything else. Tom notes he has had success just
about everywhere he has thrown the spoon especially from summer into late
fall. What started out as a “novelty” or situational bait has become a
staple of his fishing. “I will almost always make a few casts with the
spoon when I put down a Carolina rig or deep crankbait just to show them a
different look and more often than not I am rewarded with a fish”.
Normally he sticks to late morning into mid day time frames when using the
spoon. Once you get lowlight conditions the shad seem to scatter out
making the bite less effective in the deeper water. Otherwise it’s a
technique that is well worth learning and should pay off by helping you
put more fish in the boat especially in what can be the toughest time of
the day and year on any lake.

As I thanked Tom for a
great day back at the marina I came away with more knowledge on a
technique than I expected. We as bass anglers all tend to look for that
magic bait all too often and forget how important presentation really is.
While the Lake Fork Flutter Spoon is a phenomenal bait I cannot over
emphasize how much a great teacher like Tom can show us. He proved that a
basic, fundamental approach can make even the toughest conditions on the
water seem easy to overcome. The proof was there in front of my eyes and I
came away a much better angler. In addition Tom was a blast to fish with
and very personable. His boat and his gear was meticulously maintained.
The fishing was great I’ll definitely be adding the spoon to my fishing
arsenal.

For a great trip to Lake
Fork I highly recommend Tom Redington as your guide. He can be reached at
www.lakeforkguidetrips.com
at (214)683-9572. Also I highly recommend Lake Fork Marina for your
accommodations. Clean rooms and great food and a fully stocked pro shop
with a launch ramp on site. Everything is on site so you can have access
to all you need for your stay at Lake Fork. Contact Cameron at
www.lakeforkmarina.com or
(903)765-2764.